I have both the Canon 6D and the T1i and I recently bought the 70-300L for an upcoming African photo safari. My question is: should I buy a teleconverter and, if so, should I buy the Kenko 1.4 TC or some other non-Canon brand? I know that there are other TCs on the market, such as Tamron's and Sigma's, yet I haven't been able to find much in direct comparisons to the Kenko. The comparisons generally seem to be between the 3rd party and Canon, which isn't helpful since the Canon TC won't work at all focal lengths on the 70-300L and therefore, I do not wish to buy it. (By the way, I posted a version of this question earlier, but did not receive any replies so I'm reposting it. I've also revised the subject as I realized the prior subject heading I used earlier today may have led you to think I was trying to start a theoretical debate when I'm really asking for your practical advice on what, if any, teleconverter I should buy.) Your comments about the various non-Canon brands of teleconverters and which might be best (if such a statement can even be made) will be greatly appreciated.

I have the kenko 1.4TC DXG300 its a good little unit and comparable to the much more expensive canon version with the added benefit that you can use it on other lenses its a great addition to a 100mm Macro lens for example.

Tamron TC's are mad by Kenko, but might not have the same electronics, but glass is the same.So you are down to Sigma, Kenko, or Canon.Do you have or need weather sealing? Canon is the only one. Otherwise, I'd go with Kenko. I did buy and return a Kenko 1.4X TC, it locks up a 5D MK III with certain lenses, most noticably the 100mm L. It only seems to do this with the MK III, I have no info about a 6D.

There is always the possibility that a TC will fail to be compatible with a future camera model, so factor that in as well. There are a ton of older third party TC's that are not (fully compatible with newer cameras, meaning that they do not report information correctly, or do not work with certain lenses)

I did buy and return a Kenko 1.4X TC, it locks up a 5D MK III with certain lenses, most noticably the 100mm L.

strange my first mk3 (the one i had problems with did this, but its fine on the new body I'll have to test it out on the body i just bought and see if there is anything there)

Please let me know your thoughts on this. I would be interested in this because I was planning to get a 1.4x kenko for using with the 5d3. I've heard that the kenko 1.4x somehow overrides the f/8 limitation for AF on the 5d3 while being cheaper.

Tamron TC's are mad by Kenko, but might not have the same electronics, but glass is the same.So you are down to Sigma, Kenko, or Canon.Do you have or need weather sealing? Canon is the only one. Otherwise, I'd go with Kenko. I did buy and return a Kenko 1.4X TC, it locks up a 5D MK III with certain lenses, most noticably the 100mm L. It only seems to do this with the MK III, I have no info about a 6D.

There is always the possibility that a TC will fail to be compatible with a future camera model, so factor that in as well. There are a ton of older third party TC's that are not (fully compatible with newer cameras, meaning that they do not report information correctly, or do not work with certain lenses)

Thank you to all who have replied to my question about whether I should buy a Kenko, Tamron, or Sigma 1.4x teleconverter to use with my 70-300L lens on either my 6D or T1i. Your information is quite helpful regarding the Kenko and Tamron teleconverters.

I have the Canon 70-300 L and I have a Kenko 1.4 TC tele-pro - and I've been to Kenya the past two August's for the Great Migration. I'm going again this year as well. The Kenko works very well. During the day on the Masai Mara you generarally have lots of light. This due to the 6000' elevation, most days are very clear. Only in the very early morning or late afternoon would I notice the lens 'searching' for focus. I'm not anywhere near as advanced as some of these participants, but when I had the normal day's light, I could see no drop off on focus speed. Hope this helps. FYI -- try and stay nearby or within an hours drive of the Mara River in the Masai. That's the best action is during the Migration.

Also, I've decided I will sell my 70-300 and move up to the 100-400L. Just want a bit more reach. Having said that, I used a Sigma 12-24 for many situations and had as many great pics with it as with the tele's.

Thank you, TexinAfrica, for letting me know about your experience with the Kenko 1.4x teleconverter in Kenya. I think I will try to test out the Kenko. I'll be going on the northern circuit of national parks in Tanzania this August -- my first trip to Africa -- I can't wait! As for the 100-400L, I originally thought about getting that lens, but when I tried it out, It was just too long and heavy for me -- I couldn't hold it steady enough to get clear, sharp shots and even it's IS wasn't enough. But, I have no problem with the 70-300L, which is why I bought it. (The CR review of it was quite helpful in my decisionmaking.) Hopefully, adding a Kenko TC to my 70-300 won't throw off the ergonomics. I'll try it too before I buy it. And, your point about a wide-angle lens is noted. I don't have an ultra-wide (that and/or a macro lens is on next year's wish list), but I am planning to take my 24-105L for the 6D and maybe my 18-270 Tamron as a backup lens for the T1i.

Vivid Color, I know this is an old forum but how did your setup work with the Canon 6D + 70-300L IS + Kenko 1.4x TC?I am going to Japan, Korea, and South Africa and wanted to know if I should invest in this TC.Your help and input is much appreciated! Thank you

I have both the Canon 6D and the T1i and I recently bought the 70-300L for an upcoming African photo safari. My question is: should I buy a teleconverter and, if so, should I buy the Kenko 1.4 TC or some other non-Canon brand? I know that there are other TCs on the market, such as Tamron's and Sigma's, yet I haven't been able to find much in direct comparisons to the Kenko. The comparisons generally seem to be between the 3rd party and Canon, which isn't helpful since the Canon TC won't work at all focal lengths on the 70-300L and therefore, I do not wish to buy it. (By the way, I posted a version of this question earlier, but did not receive any replies so I'm reposting it. I've also revised the subject as I realized the prior subject heading I used earlier today may have led you to think I was trying to start a theoretical debate when I'm really asking for your practical advice on what, if any, teleconverter I should buy.) Your comments about the various non-Canon brands of teleconverters and which might be best (if such a statement can even be made) will be greatly appreciated.

FWIW, I got a Kenko 1.4x Pro 300 DGX recently, to test it with my 70-200L 4.0 IS. I was wondering if a little more reach could stop me from buying the 70-300L in the future...

Turns out the Kenko is holding up quite well. AF is quick and without trouble on my 6D. There is some loss of contrast and sharpness & detail, which is predictable, but it's very acceptable. So I did a little comparison between a 1.4x @ 200mm shot, and a 200mm shot cropped to the same FOV, and upscaled to the original resolution.

Outcome is that the cropped & upscaled shot is looking better (sharper, better detail) than the one with the 1.4x...So this teleconverter is going to be up for sale again!

Bought a Kenko for use on 7D with 70-300L worked fine ,I use it on my 6D as well,same result,expect the results to reflect that you are using a TC which will have some effect on IQ and have fun.Want 500 to 600 quality you must work hard and buy a prime

Vivid Color, I know this is an old forum but how did your setup work with the Canon 6D + 70-300L IS + Kenko 1.4x TC?I am going to Japan, Korea, and South Africa and wanted to know if I should invest in this TC.Your help and input is much appreciated! Thank you

I have both the Canon 6D and the T1i and I recently bought the 70-300L for an upcoming African photo safari. My question is: should I buy a teleconverter and, if so, should I buy the Kenko 1.4 TC or some other non-Canon brand? I know that there are other TCs on the market, such as Tamron's and Sigma's, yet I haven't been able to find much in direct comparisons to the Kenko. The comparisons generally seem to be between the 3rd party and Canon, which isn't helpful since the Canon TC won't work at all focal lengths on the 70-300L and therefore, I do not wish to buy it. (By the way, I posted a version of this question earlier, but did not receive any replies so I'm reposting it. I've also revised the subject as I realized the prior subject heading I used earlier today may have led you to think I was trying to start a theoretical debate when I'm really asking for your practical advice on what, if any, teleconverter I should buy.) Your comments about the various non-Canon brands of teleconverters and which might be best (if such a statement can even be made) will be greatly appreciated.

Dear dyoon88,

In the end, I decided not to buy a teleconverter for my safari. I put the 24-105mm on my 6D and the 70-300L on my crop body T1i. With only a couple of exceptions (a leopard and a cheetah sitting high up in trees in the far distance), the effective 480mm was more than enough reach and my photos are tack sharp. In those instances in which it was not enough reach, another 1.4x extension would not have been enough. In Tanzania, we often got very close to the animals and the 24-105 on my 6D got a lot of use. If I am lucky enough to go back to Africa for another safari some day, I'll probably still forgo the teleconverter and just upgrade the crop body. (That is, unless the new 100-400 will be light enough for me to handhold and not hideously expensive. I tried Canon's current 100-400mm before going on safari and it was just too heavy and long for me to reliably hand-hold. That's why I went with the 70-300L and it is a fantastic lens.) Also, for a future safari, for additional reach, I'll probably get the latest version of Canon's SX50, which has an effective reach of 24-1200mm. There is a whole thread on this forum discussing its pros and cons that might be of interest to you.

We went to India and Sri Lanka last month. Two of our activities were to see tigers and elephants (not at the same place!). I have a Canon T2i and the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM. I was afraid that it still would not be enough to get good pictures of either animal. Until we got there, I was not sure how close we would get to them. I got both the Kenko 1.4X and the 2X. I did not have enough time to play with them before we left on the trip, so I had to learn during the safaris. I had some autofocus with the 1.4X, but not with the 2X. I found I used the 2X more, because of the distance to the animals. On the pictures where I used just the 70-300, the pictures are very nice. With either of the teleconverters, the pictures seem washed out. Luckily, I took a lot (and I mean a lot) of pictures and got some that were in focus. Apparently, I need to be better with manual focus. Bottom line: I am not happy with the washed out look, but I have some nice pictures that I would not have with just the 70-300.